Hurricane Sandy will be hammering the Mid-Atlantic coast starting early Monday morning and the governors of several states have already declared a state of emergency. If you're in the outlying areas that will be affected and may lose your utilities here are some tips to help you get through the aftermath of the storm easier.

If you're not in the direct path of the storm (if you are please stop reading this and find somewhere safe to evacuate!) your immediate concerns are loss of utilities and property damage. You may have to deal with no water or no electricity for a few days. Here are Lifehacker emergency preparedness posts that you might find useful in the hours ahead:

DIY Emergency Water Storage Tank Fill up your bathtubs first but after that construct several water storage boxes using garbage bags and cardboard boxes. The water can always be used for washing or for flushing the toilet in addition to drinking.

Fill up your car with gas, fill up every spare gas tank, and consider purchasing Extra Fuel. When hurricanes hit fuel delivery schedules are pushed back which makes gas go up in price and supply may run out for a few days. Stock up now.